Aidan Cusack, Feature Reporter | Daily Eastern News
Aidan Cusack, Feature Reporter | Daily Eastern News
Aidan Cusack of Des Plaines, along with other staff members of the Daily Eastern News, received 15 national awards in Division II of the CMA Pinnacle Awards and the ACP Pacemaker Awards during October at the MediaFest25 conference in Washington, D.C.
The Daily Eastern News earned three first place awards, four second place awards, two third place awards, one fourth place award, and five honorable mention awards.
According to its website, the Associated College Press (ACP) has more than 570 members among collegiate journalists and advisors nationwide. The ACP awards include categories such as Pacemaker, Individual, Best of Show, and Clips & Clicks. These awards are not divided into divisions; therefore, The News competed against all entries nationally.
In the ACP Pacemaker Awards:
- Photo Editor Patrick Schmitz won second place for sports feature photo of the year for his image of Eastern's softball team after their Ohio Valley Conference championship win in May.
- Former Design Editor Rob Le Cates took fourth place for broadcast story of the year for his long documentary.
- Former Photo Editor Sia DeyKoontz received an honorable mention for feature photo of the year for her shot of students preparing for Miss Black EIU 2025.
The College Media Association (CMA), a nonprofit organization governed by a volunteer board since 1954, manages the Pinnacle Awards. According to its website, this year's competition saw 3,358 total entries and 1,165 finalists across eight categories. Winners were selected by professors and professionals. CMA awards are categorized based on enrollment size.
In CMA Pinnacle Awards: News & Opinion:
- The News staff received an honorable mention for media website of the year.
- Feature Reporter Aidan Cusack won first place for general newsletter.
- Former Feature Reporter Alexis Moore-Jones took second place for her breaking news photo from a vigil outside Lawson Hall.
- Former Sports Reporter Drew Farrell won third place for his column on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s views about autism.
- Former Reporter Cam'ron Hardy earned an honorable mention for breaking news multimedia coverage on Spirit Rock.
In CMA Pinnacle Awards: Advertising & General:
- Former Design Editor Rob Le Cates secured second place for his portrait of former Eastern Illinois University Provost Ryan Hendrickson.
In CMA Pinnacle Awards: Creative:
- Rob Le Cates also won second place for his infographic on undergraduate graduation statistics between fiscal years 2013 and 2023.
- He received an honorable mention for his long documentary about land use conflicts between agriculture and energy collection.
In CMA Pinnacle Awards: Sports & Features:
- Former Photo Editor Sia DeyKoontz achieved first place for her sports photo capturing Eastern's baseball team celebrating a grand slam.
- Sports Editor Gabe Newman and Design Editor Bryce Parker won first place for their multimedia sports story on the OVC baseball championship.
- Sia DeyKoontz also placed third with her feature photo package covering EIU's Holi Festival of Colors.
- Gabe Newman earned an honorable mention with his audio/video sports feature about Charleston High School's boys' basketball team.
This information was originally published by the Daily Eastern News Editorial Board on October 22, 2025. The original article is available online.
Information from this story was sourced from MeritPages.com
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